A native of Flint, Michigan, Tom Wyatt has been working
with nonprofit organizations in the areas of community
development, neighborhood revitalization, and capacity
building for over ten years. Currently, Tom is the Director of
Neighborhood and Community Services at Kettering
University. In this role, Tom manages the implementation of
grants and strategies involving public safety, placemaking,
real estate development, and community economic
development. Additionally, Tom co-leads the University Avenue Corridor Coalition, a group of over 80 organizations, businesses, institutions, and neighborhoods. The University Avenue Corridor is a 3 square mile area adjacent to downtown Flint that includes four neighborhoods, two hospitals, two universities, the Flint River, six parks, two trails, and Flint’s only stadium.

Tom founded Connected By Design, LLC in 2018 after being approached by communities and community-based organizations across the U.S. about the work that he is involved in Flint, Michigan and how the strategies and techniques used in Flint may translate to other communities by way of teaching, training, and coaching.

His accomplishments and memberships include:

B.S. in Urban Planning from Arizona State University.
National Institute of Crime Prevention certified trainer (CPD) in Crime Prevention ThroughEnvironmental Design
Faculty member, The Incremental Development Alliance.
Certified by the National Charrette Institute (NCI) in Charrette Management and Facilitation.
Professional certificate in Community and Neighborhood Revitalization
Authorized teacher of Placemaking As An Economic Development Tool
Member of the American Planning Association (APA)
Project for Public Spaces’ Placemaking Leadership Council.
Member of the Congress for New Urbanism.